Christmas is the most awaited and magical time of the year. Christmas decorations are inevitable inside and outside the home and the lights undoubtedly give the most immediate and decorative impact. Unfortunately, however, lights, lanterns, cables and sockets, if they do not meet safety standards or are not used correctly, can turn into a potential short-circuit hazard and cause serious damage.

So here are some precautions to follow to secure Christmas lights to avoid dangers on holidays.

1. Never leave the Christmas lights on at night or when you leave home. It is advisable, especially for those who often forget the lights on, to automate the switching on and off of the lights by connecting them with a timer.

2. The product must be checked very carefully to verify with absolute certainty that it is well built, with all wires well insulated and without irregularities.

3. Better to choose low voltage lights with separate power supply so as to reduce the risk of fire.

4. It is advisable to prefer LED lights as they do not overheat and tolerate humidity and vibrations better than traditional lights and because they offer lighting in a grand style. For a long time, the color of LED light was considered dazzling and unpleasant, but this is no longer the case. The new generation LED bulbs diffuse a pleasant warm white light that creates a nice festive atmosphere both indoors and out. That's why led string lights and decorative lights are an environmentally friendly and energy efficient light source that is great for replacing your old Christmas lights. Furthermore, with the LED lights, about 70 percent of the electricity required for lighting is saved.

5. To decorate outdoor spaces it is absolutely necessary to use specific lights suitable for outdoor environments. The latter have more effective insulation and are resistant to humidity, rain, heat and cold. How do they differ from those designed for interior spaces? Quite simply due to the fact that they bear the IPXX mark, which indicates their degree of protection from atmospheric agents. More specifically, you need to make sure that one or more of the following symbols are shown on the package:

• IPX3 , to indicate protection against rain;
• IPX4 , which indicates protection against splashes;
• IPX5 , which distinguishes the lights protected from water jets;
• IPX6 , which refers to luminaires with waterproof protection against immersion.

Once you have ascertained the presence of these acronyms, then you can easily proceed with the purchase, certain of the fact that the lights will not go out at the first downpour.

6. Christmas lights are not toys, therefore they should not be left within the reach of pets or children.

7. It is advisable to use a single plug on each socket, avoiding unstable triples due to the weight of too many connections. In cases where it is necessary to insert several plugs and only one socket is available, one must opt ​​for multi-sockets, which are safe and functional. Better yet, a slipper with an on/off button

8. The lights, both indoors and outdoors, should never be tied with metal hooks. In fact, the latter, in the event of current leakage, even if minimal, could act as conductors.

9. A burnt out or defective bulb must always be replaced with a bulb of the same type and voltage, otherwise it will cause overheating which could in turn cause a short circuit and fire.

10. When using the light beams from previous years, it is always a good idea to check that they are working correctly.